Spotlight on North Coast pot and Humboldt cops; Discovery Channel set to air two new marijuana-themed shows

The hazy relationship between Humboldt County's marijuana industry and local drug enforcement agencies will soon be playing out on national television.

On Feb. 20, the Discovery Channel will be airing two new mini-series documenting the North Coast marijuana trade. "Pot Cops," up first at 9 p.m., is a three-part series focusing on the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office marijuana investigations and eradication efforts. "Weed Country," which premieres at 10 p.m., is a six-part series examining the world of growers and dealers in the Emerald Triangle, who are looking to engineer some of the world's most powerful marijuana.

The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors approved in June a contract between the sheriff's office and Hoggard Films, a production company out of Colorado, granting film crews permission to follow the sheriff's drug enforcement unit for a number of months.

Sheriff Mike Downey said while some restrictions were set on what could be filmed, the crews gained unparalleled access to raids that took place across the county.

"Obviously, there are going to be some permanent residents caught up in marijuana raids, that will definitely be there," he said. "But I think the series will also show those who are coming from outside areas to capitalize on our home, as well as the destructive nature these grows have on the environment."

Downey said he believes Humboldt County residents will have a positive reaction to the series.

"I reviewed all of the shows, and I think they pretty fairly depict what is going on here in Humboldt County," he said. "Yes, we have some deputies who now think they are movie stars, but we are taking that in stride."

Humboldt County Film Commissioner Cassandra Hesseltine said she worked with the Hoggard Film crews while they were shooting.

Winner of a national Emmy Award, Hoggard Films has produced more than 90 full-length documentaries, including seven major nonfiction television series for clients such as PBS, National Geographic Channel, the Military Channel and NBC. The production company did not respond to Times-Standard requests to comment for this story.

Hesseltine said she felt the group was well prepared to take on the challenge of producing yet another documentary about the marijuana industry.

"I know when I first spoke with them, my understanding of their intentions was that they wanted to show all sides of the story, taking a more holistic approach," she said. "These are people with amazing backgrounds. They have dealt with similar hot topic issues. I am hoping that will translate into this series."

Although the marijuana-themed programming will undoubtedly bring attention to the North Coast, Hesseltine said she wonders if it is the right kind of attention.

"The whole marijuana topic is a hard one for our community," she said. "It's kind of a toss up between, 'Oh great, we are on TV again,' and not being what we want to be known for. I am not exactly excited to contribute to the stereotype that this is all Humboldt County is."

Humboldt State University sociology professor Josh Meisel, who co-chairs the Humboldt Institute for Interdisciplinary Marijuana Research, said he will be interested to see how the series portrays the ambiguity around enforcement issues. Meisel said he also looked forward to seeing how the series tackled the conflict between community members who see marijuana production as a viable source of income and those concerned about the negative aspects of cultivation.

"I think it's important to communicate the extent to which marijuana is and has been so much a part of the physical and social geography of this region," he said. "It's a very important story to be told. However, how accurate, fair or realistic that story they create is ... that remains to be seen."